Eat Beat

FOOD

By Kirsten Henri

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Sep. 12, 2007

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Copa, Too! was a bar I'd permanently scratched off my list after the ugly experience of being yelled at by a bartender. So it was with much trepidation that I set foot in Jose Pistola's, the bar that's opened in Copa's former digs. I shouldn't have worried. Casey Parker--former GM of Royal Tavern--and partner Joe Gunn have gutted the place (if you've ever been to Copa, Too!, you'll know there really wasn't any other option) and turned it into an inviting space that, despite the goofy name, is quite handsome with its exposed brick walls and polished wood details. There's a lengthy list of bottled and draft beers that runs the gamut from Sierra Nevada to Scheider Aventinus. And food too, in the form of a concise selection of mix-and-match tacos, sopes and burritos from chef Trevor Budney. The swordfish taco paired with a creamy swordfish gordita is especially good. >> Jose Pistola's, 263 S. 15th St. 215.545.4102

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Eat It!

When I was in college I ate an entire bag of chocolate-covered espresso beans so I could stay up all night editing a film. This was back in the early 1700s, when you edited film with a razor blade and tape. Needless to say, the combination of caffeine and razor blades left both the film and my fingers a mess. Fortunately, there's a kinder, gentler way of editing thanks to computers. And a kinder, gentler combination of chocolate and coffee beans in the form of Ross' Espresso Bars, made in our very own Kensington. Ross Hennesy, whose visage graces the cover of the humble brown-paper-wrapped bars, is committed to all things sustainable. His chocolate and coffee beans are fair trade, his ingredients organic and his product delivered via bicycle or public transportation. So if you're outta Philly, you're outta luck. The bars are delicious on their own, but if you're a sustainable, eco-conscious, organic-loving kind of girl, you might want to pick one up just for the sketch of Ross. He's sustainable, eco-conscious, organic-loving cute. >> Fair Food Farmstand, Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch sts. www.rossespressobar.com

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Round It up, Briefly!

Alma de Cuba (1623 Walnut St. 215.988.1799) is now open for lunch Monday through Saturday. Iron Hill Brewery in Phoenixville (130 E. Bridge St. 610.983.9333) will host a brewers reserve event on Sat., Sept. 15 to celebrate Oktoberfest, featuring their own German-style beers and a guest beer from Sly Fox Brewery. SlyFox Beer will also be in town on Mon., Sept. 17 at James for a five-course food and beer pairing. Call 215.629.4980 for reservations.